Frida y Diego Community Art Show Opening
2024-05-30 16:00 - 21:00, 2024-05-31 16:00 - 21:00, 2024-06-01 16:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha, NE, 68131, United States
This captivating exhibition seeks to bring another layer of excitement, awareness and engagement to Opera Omaha’s production of the beautiful opera El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), a new opera by Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz.For this show artists were encouraged to seek inspiration from the opera’s story as well as commemorate the passionate and tumultuous relationship between these two iconic artists, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.Artists from all backgrounds to submited their visual art of any medium influenced by the fascinating love story of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, in a unique opportunity to express their interpretation of the icons’ passionate bond, their artistic endeavors, and their profound influence on each other’s work, the fascinating and beautiful story depicted in The Last Dream of Frida and Diego, and Día de los MuertosThis art show is being produced in collaboration with Opera Omaha, Joslyn Castle, and The Castle and Cathedral Creative District.Frida and DiegoDates: April 12-May 23rdLocation: Carriage House Gallery, Joslyn Castle, Omaha NebraskaOpening Reception: Friday April 12th, 4-9pmClosing Reception: Thursday May 23rd, details TBAA small selection of art from this exhibition will be chosen to be featured at the Orpheum Theater during Opera Omaha’s performances of El último sueño de Frida y Diego.

Larry Roots “Abstractions and Other Narratives”
2024-05-30 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-05-31 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-06-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Garden of the Zodiac Gallery, 1042 Howard Street, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Garden of the Zodiac Gallery, Old Omaha Association
Omaha, Nebraska presents: Larry Roots, “Abstractions and Other Narratives”
Roots’ recent paintings provide a unique catalogue of his approach to working with acrylics. The artworks coalesce a multiplicity of crosscurrents into each composition: they are at once painterly and restrained, opaque and translucent, freeform and gridded, raw and delicate. Roots’ abstractions here are improvisational and lyrical, pushing and pulling the eye across their atmospheric surfaces and into depths of color, shape and line. Context is also provided for the evolution of Roots’ style with a selection of older personal favorites, paintings that encapsulate his forays into merging calligraphy with gestural abstraction.
Also new in this exhibition are Roots’ sculptural reliefs. These provide insight to the artist’s approach to pictorial space as inherently dimensional, creating illusions of deep perspective within the confined space of a diorama. As if designing art installations in miniature, Roots populates these architectural spaces with a variety of objects in miniature, many of them repurposed from his maquettes and “boneyard of ideas” for sculptures over the years.

Watercolor and Ink on YUPO Paper
2024-05-30 18:00 - 20:30 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
Explore mixed media techniques on the unique surface of YUPO paper, a thin synthetic paper that is non-absorbent and can be used to capture loose, striking textures and colors. Dive into a world beyond your palette by experimenting with liquid watercolors, and ink to create unique, spontaneous paintings. Led by Sydney Sehi. $55, $45 for garden members. Pre-registration is required.

Hello, Dolly!
2024-05-30 19:30, 2024-05-31 19:30, 2024-06-01 19:30 | Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass Street, Omaha, NE, 68132
Winner of 15 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Revival, Hello, Dolly! is classic musical theatre at its finest. Hello, Dolly! is bursting with showmanship, glamour, romance, dance, humor and some of the greatest songs in musical theatre history. Whether you’re new to Dolly! or you’ve seen her 100 times, this colossal production is bound to be historic.

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL
2024-05-31 07:30 - 22:30 | Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical! Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award® winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love. With a book by Tony Award® winner John Logan; music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award® winner Justin Levine; and choreography by Tony Award® winner Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical — it is a state of mind. DATE & TIMEHappens on the following Dates:May 28, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTMay 29, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTMay 30, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTMay 31, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTJun 1, 2024, 2:00pm to 5:00pm CDTJun 1, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTJun 2, 2024, 1:00pm to 4:00pm CDTJun 2, 2024, 6:30pm to 9:30pm CDTJun 4, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTJun 5, 2024, 7:30pm to 9:30pm CDTJun 6, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTJun 7, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTJun 8, 2024, 2:00pm to 5:00pm CDTJun 8, 2024, 7:30pm to 10:30pm CDTJun 9, 2024, 1:00pm to 4:00pm CDTJun 9, 2024, 6:30pm to 9:30pm CDT

PACE | New Masters
2024-05-31 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-01 08:00 - 17:00 | Pottawamie Arts, Culture and Entertainment (PACE), 1001 S 6th Street, Council Bluffs, IA, 51503, United States
We welcome you to the 2024 PACE New Masters.
Feel free to tour all the featured 40+ local professional photographers depicting realistic landscapes, figures, and portraits.
Join us on Opening Night, Friday, May 24 to see who is named this years’ “PACE New Master!”
Exhibit runs through May 24 – Sep 28, 2024
FREE to the public on Fridays from 6-9PM & Saturdays from 12-4PM.

Plant Folk by Anne Newman
2024-05-31 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-01 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
May 30 through July 9 – 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through SundayOn the gallery walls in the visitor and education centerIncluded with paid admission or garden membership. $15 + tax, $9 + tax for ages 3-12, free for ages 2 and under.This exhibit features a series of plant portraits. They are anthropomorphized depictions of plants in expressive motion. This series was sparked by the folkloric history of Mandrakes and continued on as an exploration of other plant species gaining consciousness and freedom of movement.About the ArtistAnne Newman is a painter and illustrator working in Omaha, Nebraska. She graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a BFA in Studio Art.In her home studio, she uses watercolor, pen, ink, and oil paint to create naturalistic, but darkly whimsical work. Her style is highly detailed and polished with richly saturated colors in oils or thickly cross-hatched over watercolor on paper. Outside of the studio, Newman is a sign maker and muralist.

Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers
2024-05-31 11:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-01 11:00 - 17:00 | Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th Street, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Raven Halfmoon’s practice spans torso-scaled and colossal-sized stoneware sculptures, with some soaring up to nine feet and weighing over eight hundred pounds. With inspirations that orbit centuries from ancient Indigenous pottery to Moai statues to Land Art, Halfmoon interrogates the intersection of tradition, history, gender, and personal experience.
Born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, she learned about ceramics as a teenager from a Caddo elder. Working mainly in portraiture, Halfmoon hand builds each work using a coil method. Her surfaces are expressive and show deep finger impressions and dramatic dripping glazes—a physicality that presences her as both maker and matter. She fuses Caddo pottery traditions (a history of making mostly done by women) with populist gestures—often tagging her work (a reference to Caddo tattooing).
Her palette is specific and matches both the clay bodies she selects and the glazes she fires with—reds (after the Oklahoma soil and the blood of murdered Indigenous women), blacks (referencing the natural clay native to the Red River), and creams. Sometimes she stacks and repeats imagery, creating totemic forms that represent herself and her maternal ancestry while also reinforcing the multiplicities that exist inside all of us. Her works reference stories of the Caddo Nation, specifically her feminist lineage and the power of its complexities.
This exhibition will include a combination of new and borrowed works that vary in size and content from over the last five years. Halfmoon will also be creating some of her largest works to date commissioned by The Aldrich and Bemis Center. The artist’s first museum catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
Raven Halfmoon is curated by Amy Smith-Stewart, Chief Curator at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, and Rachel Adams, Chief Curator and Director of Programming at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.
Raven Halfmoon. E-a’-titi (sister), 2021. Stoneware, glaze. 30 x 26 x 58 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photography by Alan Koppel.
Learn more about Raven Halfmoon’s work here.
About Flags of Our Mothers
The Caddo Origin Story

About the Artist
Raven Halfmoon (Caddo Nation) is from Norman, Oklahoma. She attended the University of Arkansas where she earned double bachelor’s degrees in ceramics and cultural anthropology. She has garnered an impressive series of awards and accolades, including being named the 2018 Fund the Change recipient from the Activist and Social Justice Arts Organization in Oklahoma, a Burke Prize finalist at the Museum of Arts and Design, in New York, NY, the American Craft Council Emerging Voices Award, and Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist—all in 2019. She just concluded a two-year residency at Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts in Montana.

Paul Stephen Benjamin: Black of Night
2024-05-31 11:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-01 11:00 - 17:00 | Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th Street, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Paul Stephen Benjamin’s practice is an ongoing investigation of blackness through concept, thought, and perception. From wordplay with the actual letters that comprise “BLACK,” to utilizing the expanse of shades of black house paint—including as Nightfall, Soot, Ebony Field, and Black Beauty—to posing the question, “If the color black had a sound, what would it be?,” Benjamin calls attention to the color’s deep historical and social resonance. In addition, across his practice, the artist’s work references integral moments in Black history as well as art history.
In Black of Night, Benjamin presents new and recent video installations, paintings, text-based work, and sculpture as conceptual entry points for dialogue around identity, race, and patriotism. By continually “documenting” the color black through his multifaceted practice, he is also deconstructing its meaning—breaking it down to its simplest form and allowing for it to operate as a medium for interpretation and introspection. Focusing on the connotations of the color black in society, culture and language, Benjamin incorporates history, text, imagery and sound from popular culture, in turn discussing the absence and presence of color.

About the Artist
Paul Stephen Benjamin was born in Chicago, IL, and lives and works in Atlanta, GA. He earned his BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MFA from Georgia State University in 2013. Recently Benjamin has exhibited at Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA (2023), Blackness at the Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakesh, Morocco, (2023), The Thoma Foundation Art Vault, Santa Fe, NM (2022–2023), and a solo exhibition at the Van Every-Smith Galleries, Davidson College, Davidson, NC (2022).
He has been included in solo and group exhibitions at a variety of institutions and art spaces, including Prospect.5 New Orleans, LA (2021–2022). Gavlak, Los Angeles, CA (2021), The Dirty South at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond VA (2021), David Lusk Gallery, Nashville, TN (2021), Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary, Bentonville, AR (2020), The MAC, Belfast, UK (2019), VC Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, VA (2019), The Havana Biennial in Matanzas, Cuba (2019), Marianne Boesky Gallery, NY, NY (2019), Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA (2018), Telfair Museum Jepson Center, Savannah, GA (2018), The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2017), Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GA (2017), High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (2016), among others.
He has received a range of awards and fellowships, including The Hudgens Prize (2019), Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant (2019), Hambidge Distinguished Fellowship (2019), The Southern Art Prize (2018), The State Fellow of Georgia (2018), Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (WAP) Fellow (2017), Artadia Award (2014), Winnie B. Chandler Fellowship, and the Forward Arts Emerging Artists Award.

Arts for ME! Spring Exhibition
2024-05-31 13:00 - 19:00, 2024-06-01 13:00 - 19:00 | KANEKO, 1111 Jones St, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
The Arts For ME! mission statement is:
WE EXIST TO EMPOWER MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES WITHIN OUR SCHOOL, AND TO INCREASE THE VISIBILITY AND IMPORTANCE OF THEIR WORK
This organization fosters, cultivates, and advocates for adaptive art programs for alternative students and are driven by their passion to share their philosophy and approach to teaching adaptive art. A truly collaborative effort, AFM employs the ideas, guidance, and expertise of educators and artists from around the world.
AFM’s successful methodology is based on (4) tenets: Collaborating, Lesson Planning, Set Up and Cycles, and Support.
Collaborating:
All programming is only made possible through their collaboration with Special Education teachers, occupational therapists, peer educators, guest artists, and public partners.
Lesson Planning:
Founded on Discipline-Based Art Education, each lesson plan starts by focusing on an artist or art movement and is built out from there. Lesson objectives are to develop individually tailored processes so each learner is able to express themselves with the goal to expose students to new artists and provide unique experiences that allow them to make choices within their work.
Set Up and Cycles:
Structure is integral to successful learning. AFM conducts class once a week led by two certified teachers with no more than 8 students per class. The classroom set up is based on the project and mobility needs of each student. Lessons may last 1-4 weeks with a project cycle of 4 years which ensures that a student can take the class for all 4 high school years and always have a new learning experience.
Support:
Participation from peers, nurses, occupational therapists, educational assistants, and special education teachers supports the organization’s operations and helps build friendships and confidence in each learner as well. AFM is dedicated to cultivating that confidence so students learn how to support themselves and feel it is equally important to provide students with independent space to freely express themselves on their own.
For more information on the Arts for Me! program, please visit www.artsforme.org

Icons in Transformation
2024-05-31 17:00 - 19:00, 2024-06-01 12:00 - 16:00 | All Saints Episcopal Church, 9302 Blondo St, Omaha, NE, 68134, United States
All Saint Episcopal Church will host “Icons in Transformation,” a dramatic 100-piece art exhibition featuring the contemporary work of internationally acclaimed Swedish-Ukrainian abstract expressionist Ludmila Pawlowska. This must-see exhibit will introduce her work to a broader audience and shed new light on this highly prolific and influential artist. It presents traditional icons as a source of inspiration for contemporary art. As such, the exhibit includes 15 traditional icons painted at the workshop of the Vassilevsky Monastery.
The exhibition will run from April 14 to June 9
Fridays 5pm to 7pm
Saturdays 12pm to 4pm
Sundays 11:30pm to 2:30pm

Tchaikovsky 6
2024-05-31 19:30, 2024-06-01 19:30 | Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Principal Percussionist of the San Francisco Symphony, Jacob Nissly joins Maestro Ankush Kumar Bahl and the Omaha Symphony in a performance of the Losing Earth Percussion Concerto by Adam Schoenberg.
A powerful and electrifying musical experience, Adam Schoenberg’s Losing Earth Percussion Concerto grapples with climate change and is performed by Jacob Nissly, Principal Percussionist of the San Francisco Symphony and the one to whom the work was dedicated. Tailored to Nissly’s strengths as a virtuoso percussionist, the work also explores some unexpected aspects of percussion technique. Then, prepare to be moved by the emotional intensity of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique.” With its bold, sweeping melodies and poignant themes, this masterpiece is a true musical tour de force and is sure to leave a lasting impression that will endure throughout the summer.

Jitterbugs' Night Out
2024-05-31 20:00 - 23:59 | Eagles Ballroom, 201 S 24th St, Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Jitterbugs’ Night Out, or as we like to call it, JNO, has been home to Omaha Jitterbugs’ since 2001.
On average 130 people come to JNO each week, and it’s one of Omaha’s longest-running weekly events.
Masks are optional at JNO.
You don’t need to bring a partner. The weekly beginning dance lesson is from 8:15 – 9:00 and you can choose to rotate partners throughout the lesson or stick with the partner you came with. Then the DJ plays swingin’ tunes for social dancing from 9 p.m. until midnight, so ask people to dance! Check our calendar for nights with live music. Our instructors and DJs are volunteers with JIVE who have completed training.
Dressing sharp is encouraged! But you’ll see people in t-shirts, jeans, dresses, and suits. For special events and live music nights, people tend to dress nicer.
We’ve created a diverse and welcoming community: smoke-free, drug-free, and all ages are welcome. Children younger than 15 must be accompanied by an adult. Most nights more than 100 people attend. While the highest percentage of people attending are aged 19–39, dancers range from middle and high school students to retirees in their 70s and above. Check out our Code of Conduct.
You can bring in your own food and bottle for water. We provide free water because you WILL get thirsty. A full bar is available downstairs.
Join us for the Birthday Jam! After the announcements, around 10:15 pm, we gather in a circle on the dance floor and those who have a birthday (or graduation, or are newly engaged, or any special occasion!) stand in the middle. A song is played and different partners jump in to dance with you for a bit.
If you’d like to have a party during JNO, you are welcome! We suggest showing up at 8:00 pm if you need to set up a table for your party.
No party fees are charged.
For discounted entrance, learn about volunteering with JIVE!

Open Auditions: Ghost Brothers of Darkland County
2024-06-01 12:00 - 16:00 | Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple St, Omaha, NE, 68104, United States
Join us for auditions for our upcoming production of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County by Stephen King, John Cougar Mellencamp, and T Bone Burnett!
​​Benson Theatre believes that theatre belongs to everyone, and we strive for inclusivity and representation of the scope of humanity in our audiences and in our company. We believe the expanse of humanity available in a performance transcends the context of fixed casting, and we are determined to define space in these stories for the rich variety of humans and experiences that exist in our world today. We invite all artists to submit for opportunities and roles that ignite their creative spirit.
We seek to represent all genders, races, ethnicities, ages, and abilities within our company and programming. We recognize that many characters we encounter onstage are on the binary and are written with he/him or she/her pronouns and many characters are written with a systemic coding or expectation of race and ability. We invite gender non-conforming, gender queer, transgender, and non-binary actors, as well as performers of all races, ethnicities, ages, and abilities to submit for all roles with which they most identify. We will specify when characters have specific gender, race, age, or ability criteria — with the intent of authentically uplifting historically marginalized voices in the arts. Otherwise, we ask all people interested and excited by this show to audition for the roles that ignite their creative spirit.
If you’re interested in auditioning, please fill out this quick form to let us know you’re coming and get signed up for updates on the show.
See you at the theatre!

PACE | Youth Ceramics
2024-06-01 13:00 - 2024-06-02 15:30 | Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, 1001 South 6th Street, Council Bluffs, IA, United States
Does your child dream of turning a lump of clay into a magical mug or a funky figurine? In this our youth ceramics classes, your imagination will take center stage as you explore the wonderful world of clay!
What They Will Learn:

The clay basics: Kneading, pinching, coiling, and sculpting – master these techniques to transform clay into anything you can dream up.
Hand-building magic: Create bowls, animals, monsters, or whatever your heart desires using hand-building techniques.
Spin it to win it: Get a taste of the potter’s wheel and learn how to center, throw, and shape clay on this exciting spinning machine.
Glazing galore: Choose from a rainbow of glazes to add color, shine, and personality to your creations.

More Than Just Clay:

Develop your creativity and problem-solving skills as you bring your ideas to life.
Learn about different ceramics styles and techniques from around the world.
Discover the joy of working with your hands and creating something special from scratch.
Make new friends and share your artistic journey with other clay enthusiasts.

Take home:

Your very own ceramic creations, proudly made by you!
A newfound appreciation for the art of ceramics and the magic of clay.
Memories of a fun and rewarding learning experience.

PACE | Youth Painting
2024-06-01 14:30 - 16:00 | Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, 1001 South 6th Street, Council Bluffs, IA, United States
Calling all budding Picassos and Monets! Dive into a world of vibrant colors and endless possibilities in our youth painting classes designed specifically for young artists.
What They’ll Explore:

Mastering the brush: Learn different brushstrokes and techniques to create textures, patterns, and stunning effects on your canvas.
Color magic: Discover the joy of mixing colors and creating their own unique palettes.
From abstract to realistic: Explore different painting styles, from abstract expressionism to still life realism, and find their own artistic voice.
Acrylic adventures: Experiment with acrylic paints, a versatile medium perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike.

More Than Just Painting:

Develop your creativity and imagination as you translate your ideas and emotions onto canvas.
Learn about famous artists and their techniques, and draw inspiration from their masterpieces.
Discover the power of color and how it can evoke different moods and feelings.
Make new friends and share your artistic journey with other young painters.

Take home:

Your own beautiful paintings, each a unique expression of your creativity.
A newfound confidence in your artistic abilities and a love for painting.
Memories of a fun and inspiring learning experience.

PACE | Youth Tech Art
2024-06-01 16:00 - 2024-06-02 17:00 | Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, 1001 South 6th Street, Council Bluffs, IA, United States
Calling all curious minds and creative problem-solvers! Get ready to unleash your inner inventor in Maker’s Lab, a unique program where art and science collide in a whirlwind of exciting challenges and hands-on activities.
What You’ll Do:

Become a mini-MacGyver: Use everyday materials and your ingenuity to build robots, design circuits, and create amazing inventions that solve real-world problems.
Code your way to creativity: Learn the basics of coding and program your creations to move, light up, and even make sounds!
Think like an engineer: Explore principles of mechanics, electricity, and magnetism through fun and engaging projects.
Get artsy with science: Design bridges that stand tall, build rockets that soar, and create art installations that blend technology and imagination.

More Than Just STEM:

Develop your critical thinking and problem-solving skills as you tackle different challenges.
Learn to collaborate and work in a team to achieve your goals.
Discover the connections between art and science, and see how creativity can fuel innovation.
Make new friends and share your inventions and discoveries with other curious minds.
